Bats bail out gloves' flubs

STOCKTON - The Ports tied a season-high with 12 hits, including three home runs, and snapped a four-game losing streak.

Mark Godi

STOCKTON - The Ports tied a season-high with 12 hits, including three home runs, and snapped a four-game losing streak.

But that wasn't enough to make Aaron Nieckula happy.

Stockton's first-year manager wasn't pleased his team committed four errors in its 7-5 victory on Wednesday at Stockton Ballpark. And he made his feelings known after the game in the dugout.

"I told them in the postgame (meeting) that there are two ways you can win a game," Nieckula said. "You can win pretty or ugly. Today, we won ugly."

Stockton begins a four-game series at Bakersfield at 7:05 p.m. today.

The miscues allowed Modesto to score two runs each in the sixth and seventh innings to close the Ports' lead to 6-5. Stockton (2-12) got an insurance run on Matt Spencer's solo home run in the eighth inning, making Scott Hodsdon (1-1) the team's first starting pitcher to win this season. Scott Hunton pitched two scoreless innings for his first save.

"It definitely is nice to help the pitcher out and get an insurance run," said Spencer, who hit his team-high fourth homer. "Then the pitcher doesn't have to worry about one pitch tying the game and can focus on the batter."

In the sixth, Ports third baseman Alex Valdez and shortstop Frank Martinez committed errors, and in the seventh, second baseman Larry Cobb had an error with two outs that led to two more runs for the Nuts (9-5).

"The bottom line here is player development and the fundamentals," Nieckula said. "I'm upset because those errors were mental and you have to be focused."

Spencer also had a double and a single. Jermaine Mitchell extended his hitting streak to nine games.

Catcher Raul Padron hit a two-run home run in his first game with Stockton this season. He was at Triple-A Sacramento for the first 13 games.

"Padron did a good job of holding his own and guiding a young staff," Nieckula said. "He's a professional."